On January 24, an Illinois State Appeals Court ruled 2-1 that Rahm Emanuel does not meet the one-year residency requirement to serve as Mayor of Chicago. Therefore, he is off the ballot, although it is virtually certain that the State Supreme Court will hear Emanuel’s appeal very quickly. The election is February 22. Thanks to Rick Hasen’s ElectionLawBlog for this news. The majority decision is 24 pages and the dissent is 17 pages.
Although this is a complicated issue, a quick reading suggests that the majority decision is not convincing. Furthermore, as the dissent notes, the case should probably have been certified to the State Supreme Court, and the fact that it wasn’t certified to the State Supreme Court (even though it is bound to go there anyway) will make difficulties for election administrators relating to time.
How many ballots have been sent to Chicago troopers fighting for Democracy against the BARBARIANS in Asia ???
Is every election now becoming a constitutional CRISIS ???
How about ONE ELECTION LAW SUPREME COURT — with perhaps 1,000 judges — for ALL election law cases – smallest precinct to the largest election ???
Nonstop emergency hearings and orders 24/7 ???
Think judicial Pearl Harbors / 911s ???
Every body ready for the party hack machinations for the 2012 elections — especially Prez primary and caucus machinations ???
Will even the 24/7 BAN computers be able to keep up to date ???
Heaven help the U.S.A. — due to the EVIL in the party hacks.
How many State Constitutions are SUPER-defective in letting the party hacks play games with BASIC stuff —
WHO is an Elector/Voter ???
WHO can be elected to constitutional offices ???
WHEN are elections held (assuming that there are even elections in party hack regimes) ???
— in addition to the nonstop rigging of ballot access laws.
See at least the FIXED/REQUIRED qualifications in the U.S.A. Const for U.S.A. Reps, Senators and Prez/VP — which even the State party hacks try to play games with.
More brains in 1787 than in 2011 ??? Decline of the West ???
Part of the State rot can be blamed on the party hacks in the Congress — by admitting States into the Union when such States have FATAL defects/loopholes in the original State constitutions to be exploited to the max by the robot party hacks in the States.
P.R. and App.V. — before the robot party hacks cause Civil WAR II and/or WW III.
It is a very clear case. He had to physically reside in the City of Chicago for one year, prior to the election. He clearly did not. There are no cases in the record of the State of Illinois Supreme Court, that have ruled any other way in the past. Rahm DOES NOT have any precedents to lean on.
What RAHM OBJECTS TO, is the idea that his 10.6 million dollars CANNOT BUY HIM THE ELECTION. HE IS TREATED LIKE EVERYONE ELSE UNDER THE LAW. He is used to bribing and bullying to get his way.
Money can’t buy you love, and money can’t buy you the right to change the laws to your whims.
The city of Chicago has ordered 2 million ballots printed WITHOUT Rahm’s name and the printing will commence on Tuesday, according to news accounts in the Chicago papers.
There is NO guarantee the State Supreme Court of Illinois will even HEAR the case, let alone set a new precedent by ruling in Rahm’s favor.
As a modern day Abraham Lincoln of Illinois would say, you can bribe and bluff your way and thereby fool some of the people some of the time, you can bamboozle and lie and cheat most of the people most of the time, BUT your arrogance guarantees YOU CAN’T FOOL ALL THE PEOPLE ALL THE TIME.
Most rational State regimes treat Elector-Voter qualifications different from candidate/officer qualifications.
I note the point about military Electors on active duty outside of a State was brought up in the IL appeals court majority opinion.
Any news of the opinion getting to the front line troopers fighting the BARBARIANS in Asia — i.e. while such troopers are defending Democracy and the Rule of LAW — even in Illinois ???
# 4 How many New Age party hacks are EVIL arrogant also ???
Some sort of EVIL arrogant EMPIRE twilight zone stuff in the U.S.A. since 1993 with Clinton and/or since 2001 with Bush II and/or since Obama in 2009 ??? Duh.
See the decline and fall of the British and French empires in the 1900s — wars, internal economic rot, etc.
Granting this stay guarantees Emmanuel the election. Clearly the court knows this. Wow. What a great scam. It is fascinating, in a creepy sort of way, to see a well-oiled criminal machine in operation.
# 6 Like the nazi regime in 1933-1945 and various commie regimes in 1917-1991 ???
Did any nazi or commie candidate on the ballots EVER lose ???